Reasons Behind Today's Decline in Zebra Technologies Stock
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Oct 28 2025
0mins
Should l Buy ZBRA?
Source: Fool
Strong Q3 Results: Zebra Technologies reported a 4.8% year-over-year sales increase to $1.32 billion and adjusted earnings per share of $3.88, surpassing analyst expectations.
Concerns Over Guidance: Despite positive results, the company's fourth-quarter guidance includes significant contributions from the recent acquisition of Elo Touch Solutions, which may not align with analyst forecasts, leading to a potential underperformance in organic growth.
Economic Pressures: CEO Bill Burns noted that tariffs have a minimal impact on costs, but a shaky economy is causing clients to delay orders, resulting in a reduced order pipeline for the upcoming quarter.
Stock Performance: Zebra's stock has declined 32% year-to-date, currently trading at 14.8 times forward earnings projections, suggesting it may be an opportune time for investors to consider buying.
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Analyst Views on ZBRA
Wall Street analysts forecast ZBRA stock price to rise
7 Analyst Rating
4 Buy
3 Hold
0 Sell
Moderate Buy
Current: 274.150
Low
291.00
Averages
363.80
High
415.00
Current: 274.150
Low
291.00
Averages
363.80
High
415.00
About ZBRA
Zebra Technologies Corporation is engaged in the Automatic Identification and Data Capture (AIDC) industry. The Company helps organizations monitor, anticipate, and accelerate workflows by empowering their frontline and ensuring that everyone and everything is visible, connected and fully optimized. Its portfolio includes hardware, software, and services. It operates through two segments: Asset Intelligence & Tracking (AIT) and Enterprise Visibility & Mobility (EVM). The AIT segment is engaged in barcode printing and asset tracking technologies. Its product lines include barcode and card printers, radio frequency identification devices (RFID) and real-time location systems (RTLS) offerings, and supplies, including temperature-monitoring labels, and services. The EVM segment is engaged in automatic information and data capture solutions. Its product lines include mobile computing, data capture, fixed industrial scanning and machine vision, services, and workflow optimization solutions.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
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- Weak Economic Data: Initial jobless claims in the U.S. fell by 5,000 to 227,000, below the expected 223,000, while January existing home sales dropped 8.4% month-over-month to 3.91 million, marking a 16-month low, which reflects signs of economic slowdown that could impact market sentiment.
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- Tech Sector Retreat: U.S. stocks experienced a significant decline on Thursday, with the S&P 500 down 1.57%, the Dow Jones down 1.34%, and the Nasdaq 100 down 2.04%, primarily driven by a sell-off in the Magnificent Seven tech stocks, indicating concerns over the profitability outlook in the tech sector.
- Cisco Systems Warning: Cisco Systems saw its stock plummet over 12% after forecasting that rising memory chip prices would erode profitability, raising investor concerns about future performance and potentially diminishing market confidence.
- Weak Economic Data: Initial jobless claims in the U.S. fell by 5,000 to 227,000, below the expected 223,000, while January existing home sales dropped 8.4% month-over-month to 3.91 million, marking a 16-month low, which reflects signs of economic slowdown that could impact market sentiment.
- Positive Earnings Season: Despite the overall market downturn, over 76% of S&P 500 companies that reported earnings exceeded expectations, with Q4 earnings projected to grow by 8.4%, indicating strong corporate profitability that may provide support for the market.
See More
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- Stock Performance: Zebra Technologies' shares rose by 10.5% at 2:50 p.m. ET on Thursday, having surged as much as 20.2% earlier in the day, indicating strong market confidence in the company's future performance and reflecting investor optimism.
- Earnings Highlights: Zebra's Q4 2025 sales increased by 10.6% year-over-year to $1.48 billion, with adjusted earnings rising from $4.00 to $4.33 per diluted share, matching analyst expectations and demonstrating robust growth in a competitive market.
- Outlook: Management anticipates revenues of approximately $1.48 billion and adjusted earnings of about $4.18 per share in the next quarter, significantly above current market projections, showcasing the company's confidence in future growth.
- Market Positioning: Despite rising hardware costs, Zebra maintains a leading position in high-growth sectors such as e-commerce and digitized healthcare records, with the CEO highlighting the company's industry leadership in AI solutions as a competitive advantage.
See More
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- Strong Performance: Zebra Technologies reported a 10.6% year-over-year increase in Q4 sales to $1.48 billion, with adjusted earnings rising from $4.00 to $4.33 per diluted share, aligning with analyst expectations and demonstrating robust performance in a challenging market.
- Optimistic Outlook: Management anticipates revenues of approximately $1.48 billion and adjusted earnings of around $4.18 per share for the next quarter, both significantly above current Wall Street projections, reflecting strong confidence in future growth.
- AI Solutions Provider: While Zebra is not widely recognized in the AI space, its positioning as a supplier of AI solutions for frontline business operations aligns perfectly with the needs of high-growth markets such as manufacturing, e-commerce, healthcare, and fast food, highlighting its strategic significance.
- Attractive Valuation: Currently trading at 2.7 times sales and 28 times trailing earnings, Zebra's stock is considered relatively cheap when factoring in growth prospects, potentially attracting more investor interest.
See More
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- Freight Brokers and AI: Freight brokers, once seen as beneficiaries of artificial intelligence, are now facing challenges from software companies leveraging AI technology.
- Shift in Perception: The shift in perception highlights the evolving landscape of the freight industry as AI continues to advance and disrupt traditional roles.
- Impact on the Industry: This change suggests that freight brokers may need to adapt to remain competitive in an increasingly automated environment.
- Future Considerations: The situation raises questions about the long-term implications of AI on various sectors within the logistics and transportation industries.
See More
Zebra Technologies Exceeds Q4 2025 Earnings Expectations
- Strong Performance: Zebra Technologies reported nearly $1.5 billion in Q4 sales, a 10.6% increase year-over-year, with non-GAAP diluted earnings per share at $4.33 and an adjusted EBITDA margin of 22.1%, reflecting the company's robust execution and positive demand trends.
- Strategic Focus: The company expanded its connected frontline portfolio and customer base through the acquisitions of Elo Touch and Photoneo, while exiting the Robotics business to concentrate on higher-growth areas such as RFID, machine vision, and AI solutions, thereby reinforcing its market leadership.
- Future Outlook: The CFO projected sales growth for 2026 to be between 9% and 13%, with first-quarter sales growth guidance ranging from 11% to 15%, including approximately 10 points from business acquisitions and favorable FX, indicating strong confidence in future growth.
- Cash Flow and Buybacks: Zebra generated $831 million in free cash flow for 2025 and plans to repurchase around 50% of its free cash flow in 2026, enhancing shareholder returns and demonstrating a proactive approach to capital management.
See More
US Stock Market Volatility as Tech Stocks Weigh Down Indices
- Tech Stock Pressure: The S&P 500 index fell by 0.52% and the Nasdaq 100 index dropped by 1.08% due to weakness in the Magnificent Seven tech stocks, indicating investor concerns that could dampen market confidence.
- Cisco Profit Warning: Cisco Systems forecasted that rising memory chip prices would erode profitability, leading to a more than 10% drop in its stock price, which may prompt investors to revise down their future performance expectations, negatively impacting overall market sentiment.
- Employment Data Impact: Initial US jobless claims fell by 5,000 to 227,000, reflecting a slightly weaker labor market, which could influence the Federal Reserve's monetary policy decisions and lower market expectations for future rate cuts.
- Chip Demand Recovery: Sandisk's stock rose over 7% following Kioxia's forecast of strong demand for NAND memory chips, indicating growth potential in the AI infrastructure sector, which may create new investment opportunities for related companies.
See More
